I’m so proud and excited to be heading back with my family to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration this month! The countdown is really on now. But if you ask my boys, they were counting down since we told them we were going, well over two months ago.
I started sharing my favourites from last year’s experience, as well as some amazing new discoveries in the parks I can’t wait to experience with the boys on social and on the blog. If you have any burning questions about Walt Disney World or a Disney Cruise, be sure to leave them in the comments below. I will answer the questions in a following post. And f you are an all-things-Disney fan, be sure to follow me on social media (handles are op right). I will try o share as much magic as I can while we are there.
After we embarked on the Disney Dream last year, I was just overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. Until that moment, my family and I had never set foot on a cruise ship before. Everything was new to us! It was amazing! As influencers, we were invited to the Animator’s Palate for our first meetup. I’m so happy to learn that Animator’s Palate is also on the Disney Dream, that we will be on this year. When I asked my boys what dinner was their favourite, they all said Animator’s Palate!
Animator’s Palate
Every restaurant has a magical Disney theme. While we were on the Disney Wonder, we got to enjoy Tiana’s Place (my favourite) with the Princess and the Frog theme, Triton’s with the Little Mermaid theme, and Animator’s Palate, which was a celebration of all the movies.
Here’s a look at me, taking it all in when we got there. By then, my ‘Monica on vacation hair’ was in full effect (humid Florida weather, yo). My apologies in advance for the mediocre quality of my video. It was my first time using a GoPro and I was so excited!
The Animator’s Palate is an interactive experience. You are given a paper placemat with space for a person for you to draw and decorate. Then the staff picks them up and before you’re at dessert, your drawing is participating in the animation on the screen before your eyes! It’s so much fun to see that as well as see the drawings of the classic Disney characters come to life from an initial sketch. Our boys were having the most fun watching the first few lines of a sketch and trying to determine what character it would become. It became a friendly competition during dinner between my boys and Tanya’s kids. At the end of dinner there is one final surprise, Mickey Mouse came to greet us, dressed up in his sorcerer’s outfit and hat. What I loved about that was Mickey was thanking the cast members.
Ready to draw my animation!
Disney cruises have rotational dining. This means that each night you can experience a new restaurant, and the cast members that were waiting on you for your meals come with you! Why is this cool? Because we really got to enjoy the company of our waiters and they were the best with the kids. It also brought extra magic to the experience. For example, last year, my husband turned 40 years young on the cruise. I told the staff and they did the typical awesomeness; embarrassing him by singing Happy Birthday and bringing him a special dessert. But what was even better (especially in his eyes) was that Ericson, our waiter, got to know how much Papa MOE was a meat and potatoes guy and for his birthday, he got an extra serving of the amazing steak dinner he choose. That made his birthday, I’m sure of it! We all know Disney goes above and beyond to make things magical, but I was thrilled to have rotational dining for many reasons and considered it very special.
Donald in his initial sketch stage.
Animator’s Palate has amazing details in every aspect of the restaurant. From the paint palette above the ceiling to the butter knives shaped as paint brushes, I was so impressed (as always) with every detail. The walls are decorated with Disney characters in their first sketch phase. As a special DisneySMMC influencer, it was incredible to hear Disney artists talk about their passion for their work, and how projects come together. Animator’s Palate is a wonderful expression of that.
(l-r) Ericson, me, Tanya, and Juan. These guys were the best!!
Disclosure: I was invited with my family to the exclusive Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. As such, I am provided with various discounts and products. I was not requested to write this post, but am more than happy to share my new-found Disney knowledge with my readers. All opinions are honest and my own.